


Point of Turn

by Ericine



Series: Lush [12]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Aftermath, Bachelorette Party, Crossover, Earth, F/F, F/M, Family, Family Dinners, Femslash, Hen Party, Loneliness, Multi, Polyamory, Shore Leave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 08:39:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12577928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ericine/pseuds/Ericine
Summary: Voyager's back in the Alpha Quadrant, and the world spins madly on. Except for those feeling a little stuck.





	Point of Turn

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cosmic_llin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_llin/gifts).



Despite their (okay,  _ her _ ) numerous protests to the contrary (they had a perfectly good EMH on board), B’elanna and the rest of the  _ Voyager _ crew have to submit to quarantine and numerous tests before they’re released back to...well, that hasn’t yet been decided. Starfleet? Earth? Society?  


B’elanna doesn’t want to think about that. Captain Janeway and Tom have both told her that the best thing to do in this situation would be to keep quiet unless asked a direct question, so she does. Or she tries, at least. She has Miral half the time, at least, so that keeps her busy enough, but it’s a new baby and a new place and not enough _ space _ , and she’s trying hard to keep her promise, but it’s all she can do not to climb the walls.

The quarantine quarters look much like those on a ship, except hers have a few security precautions - she was a wanted woman when she left the Alpha Quadrant, though that seems so long ago that that woman could be someone else.

Maybe she was.

The door chirps, and Miral lets out a cry. B’elanna swears under her breath. “Come in!”

She hardly has time to go back to being sour before none other than Dr. Beverly Crusher sweeps into the room. “Good morning - Lieutenant Torres, I believe?”

B’elanna furrows her brow in genuine confusion. “Yes.” What were  _ Enterprise _ personnel doing here? She hadn’t bothered to read up on everything that had changed, but Tom had and told her over the limited communication she was allowed to have with the crew. Dr. Crusher was supposed to be on the  _ Enterprise _ , and the  _ Enterprise  _ was supposed to be doing something more important than deciding her fate here.

“I’m--”

“I know who you are.” The doctor who beat off a Borg attack with a skeleton crew by flying into a sun. And that wasn’t even her day job.

Dr. Crusher takes pause there but only for the smallest of moments, eyes flickering over mother and daughter in front of her. If she passes judgment on them, B’elanna can’t tell. “May I?”

It takes B’elanna a moment to realize that she’s gesturing to the crying infant she’s rocking in her arms. “Uh…”

That must have been enough of a confirmation of her affirmation, because Miral’s in Dr. Crusher’s arms. She’s skilled at this, B’elanna realizes, because even though Miral doesn’t necessarily stop crying, Dr. Crusher shifts her easily, cooing at her with a smile that feels like a foreign language to B’elanna, after so many days of interrogation and examination. Miral quiets a little, and the doctor takes a tricorder out from seemingly nowhere and scans the baby.

Then, Miral’s back in B’elanna’s arms, and Dr. Crusher’s directing that warm smile at her now. “My apologies. I thought maybe you’d want her in the arms of a stranger for as little time as possible, and there’s no need to trouble her more with something unfamiliar than needed. But now, we can talk.” She takes a seat at the room’s modest table like she’s company for dinner.

“Aren’t you going to scan me too?”

Dr. Crusher nods. “I can. I will. I imagine your ship’s EMH was operating well or you all would have said something, so I can’t see why it can’t wait five minutes, especially since you've probably been poked, prodded, and scanned enough for a lifetime. How are you? Do you have any questions for me?”

“What are you doing here?” says B’elanna, much too quickly, and Miral appears to be settling down to sleep now, so she busies herself with putting her down for a nap so she doesn’t have to deal with possibly being rude to who may very well be the ranking member of Starfleet Medical about five minutes after she walked into her room and played with her baby. “Sorry. I mean - it just seems strange that the Federation flagship would be concerning itself with us.”

Dr. Crusher’s earnest face softens a little. She gestures to the chair in front of her, and B’elanna hesitates. “If you want, we can switch places so you can watch her.” B’elanna nods and stands, and Dr. Crusher sits on the other side of the table, with her back to Miral.

“We all know about you, who you are,” she begins, and B’elanna doesn’t like that at all. “One of my close colleagues and friends was consulting on the Pathfinder project with Lieutenant Barclay. You all disappeared, and we were at war, and it was--” Dr. Crusher sighs. “--let’s just say that we all remember where we were when we found out where you’d all gone to. Some of us remember where we were when you’d gone missing. All of us remember when you made contact.”

Dr. Crusher’s eyes are clear and blue, her face bright and hopeful. B’elanna’s never met her before today and already knows that she has the bedside manner that they’d all spent so much time training the Doctor to have. But it doesn’t fit here, not with her, not with what they’d all been through (and she  _ misses _ them - she’s perhaps spent a month away on an away mission or two, but this is different; there’s more to rely on than each other, and there is more to split them apart than before). “Any ship would have done the same,” B’elanna says slowly, meeting Dr. Crusher’s eyes. “Are you telling me that you came to Earth for us?”

“A lot of us did.”

“We’re not prepared for any of this.”

Dr. Crusher nods. “You know that I serve on the  _ Enterprise-E _ ?” B’elanna nods. “You know that when you left that it was a different ship, right?” And B’elanna doesn’t really remember that, but she nods anyway, because it helps move things ahead. “Our ship was destroyed. We were all grounded here for a while, and you all were missing. They built the new ship, we all went back to doing what we did before, but it wasn’t the same. It didn’t feel the same, and even though we ended up adapting to fit our circumstances, things changed.”

“Comforting,” says B’elanna, but there’s no venom in it. She closes her eyes, more tired than anything, even though it is so early in the morning. “I suppose we’ll all have to be psychologically evaluated as well.”

Beverly smiles, and it’s unfair that someone with hair like that also gets cheekbones like this. “I’ll leave that to a different colleague of mine - don’t worry, she’s one of the the best.” She stands and pulls out her tricorder. “Look, you didn’t hear it from me, but you’ll probably be released to base housing this week. I know it’s not much, but at least you’ll be able to live with your husband and baby together. After what you’ve done, I think they’ll give you all the time you need. And you, Lieutenant, are in perfect health. Congratulations.”

B’elanna clears her throat. “Um, thank you, Doctor...Crusher.” She tacks the last part on because  _ Doctor _ is someone else to her now.

Beverly looks curious but again doesn’t say anything about it. “We’ll be here for a little while ourselves - our crew is dealing with a somewhat personal matter - something small, but we’ll be around for the month. We’re switching out a lot of personnel too. If you need someone to share a meal with or if you want someone to watch her, let me know.” She turns around and is undoubtedly about to sweep out in the same way that she came in.

Meanwhile, B’elanna can’t find it in herself to keep her mouth shut. “Miral.”

Dr. Crusher turns around, a perfectly-timed head turn that she’s probably perfected over years to make her hair turn and catch the light like that. “I’m sorry?”

“Her name is Miral. You can call her Miral.” She pauses, the smallest hesitation. “And you may call me B’elanna when it’s appropriate. We were all family on  _ Voyager _ . It’s going to take some getting used to to listen to so much of my rank again.”

Beverly smiles. “I guess we know how to reach each other now, B’elanna. You’re welcome to call me Beverly, of course.” B’elanna tries to meet her smile with one just as reassuring. (She’s pretty sure she’s unsuccessful, of course.) “Is it presumptuous to say ‘welcome home’?”

She should say no. That would be the normal and colloquial thing to do, but she can’t keep a lid on herself today. “I don’t know,” she says. She sounds just as lost as she feels.

Still, Dr. Crusher - Beverly - nods with the same understanding as before. “Then just welcome, then,” she tells her, and sweeps back out of the room.

B’elanna curls back up on her bed and watches Miral sleep.

* * *

As it turns out, Beverly’s openness and earnestness are characteristics shared by the crew of the  _ Enterprise _ in general (honestly, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise, though it can be a lot like someone turning the lights on full after you’ve been sleeping in pitch darkness for a while). All of their qualified staff appears to be pitching in with the evaluations needed for  _ Voyager _ . There’s that many of them, and the arrival from the Delta Quadrant is so unprecedented.

B’elanna learns quickly to tell the people that can be trusted genuinely and the people who are around her and the rest of the crew to rub shoulders with the limelight, so to speak. The  _ Enterprise _ ’s crew falls among the genuine, but she’s still relieved when it’s Counselor Dax who evaluates her instead of the half-Betazoid  _ Enterprise _ counselor, because everything just feels a little too transparent as is.

She does end up getting moved to base housing, and while it’s nice to live with Tom again, she still finds there’s something missing. Tom’s rebonding with his father, so while that means that he takes the majority of the nighttime wake up calls, B’elanna’s with Miral during the day and mostly no one else. That’s fine, because reassigning her is taking so long (she still has so many interviews to attend, and besides spotting Harry Kim completely by accident, she hasn’t seen the  _ Voyager _ crew in quite some time). It’s strange to feel like she has too  _ much _ time on her hands - not that Miral isn’t a handful, but she knows it’s probably not good to have the only person she’s speaking to regularly besides her husband be a newborn.

She asks if Beverly would like to come over for dinner, and Beverly arrives that night in uniform, complete with the latest replicator recipes and plenty of mindless gossip to take B’elanna’s mind off her situation. She talks about her staff - those working for her here as well as those who will serve with her when the  _ Enterprise _ departs again - and how pleased she is with their progress. B’elanna remembers having a staff of her own. Beverly’s a good storyteller, and B’elanna feels almost like she’s serving on a starship again.

“Do you miss it?” she asks, over one of the most colorful fruit salad desserts B’elanna’s ever had. “Being on the ship?”

Beverly smiles. “I moved around a few times growing up, you know, and when you do that, nothing really feels like home. So space would be the closest, yes.” She looks a little far away at that, and B’elanna wonders if she’s here talking to her because it makes her feel better as well. B’elanna would like that, maybe. It’d make her feel a little less flustered about why Beverly’s hanging out with her, when there are plenty of other interesting people on the base - who came from  _ Voyager _ just like her, even. “When you get to my age, though,” she says with a blush (and even her blush spreads across her cheeks in a way that reminds B’elanna of a piece of art - the woman is positively swanlike), “and the people closest to you are beginning to transition forward, you think about what options there are for you.”

B'elanna looks Beverly over. By the looks of it, she has more than half a human lifespan ahead of her. What's she worried about? “There have to be plenty,” says B’elanna, between bites of dragon fruit.

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about my career,” says Beverly. “There’s plenty of excitement to be had, B’elanna. It’s just finding the right fit.”

“For the future?” Beverly nods. “I think I’m just trying to make it day to day.”

Beverly pauses over a forkful of a fruit that B’elanna’s never seen before. “I mean, if you stretch it out, the future’s just a bunch of days, right? As far as we’re concerned.” B’elanna needs time to think about that one, so she takes her bite and chews. “Have you thought about what happens after you get cleared?” 

B’elanna shrugs. “I guess chances are slim that we’d all be put on the same ship again.” She thinks about the number of people on her staff who’d spoken to her about doing something different when they got back to the Alpha Quadrant. For some of them, the initial science mission was going to be their last assignment for a while. They’d planned other career moves. One was about to go on leave because his wife was giving birth.

Unconsciously, she looks toward her room, where Miral’s sleeping in her crib. She doesn’t want to think about what they’re considering now.

“I mean, do you want to serve on a ship?” Beverly asks. “I’m pretty split between the ship and working on a lab planetside. It comes down to the medicine for me, though. It doesn’t matter where I practice, but that’s the most important part.”

“But you like ships a little more,” grins B’elanna. “Even I can see that.”

Beverly grins, and her eyes flick over to the side. “Okay, I do like the action. Usually, the action’s the ships.”

B’elanna nods. She thinks she feels the same way. “I’m not sure. There’s Miral to think about now, of course.”

“I thought the same thing when my son was born,” Beverly replies, and B’elanna has to think about that for a moment, because she of course knows about Wesley Crusher, but it’s hard to relate a legendary boy genius and his unflappable physician mother back to this Beverly - she’s unflappable, alright, but those kinds of people aren’t supposed to be this down-to-Earth either. Literally, in this case. “You’ll figure something out.”

“I don’t feel like I’m figuring anything  _ out _ , though,” B’elanna tells her. “I feel like I’m just sitting here.”

“Fair,” says Beverly, polishing off her plate and dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. Her lipstick hasn’t moved and doesn’t move at all, naturally. “Well, if you want to hang out on a ship, I think Lieutenant Commander La Forge and I could give you a tour around the  _ Enterprise _ tomorrow. Bring Miral if you’d like. I don’t mind watching her if you want to take a spin around the engine room.”

B’elanna’s eyes widen. “You can’t be serious.”

Beverly laughs. “Half of us are on shore leave, so we’re supposed to be having fun. The  _ Voyager  _ evaluations are finished, anyway. I’ve done my part of the recommendations.”

Again, she can’t help herself. “And hanging out with me is fun.”

“Yes,” says Beverly simply. “I guess I haven’t asked you if you felt likewise. It’s an open invitation. You’re welcome to turn it down.”

“Uh, no,” B’elanna says quickly. “You’re--” She trails off, because none of her words are going to quite sound right. Comforting? A relief? Too good to be true? “...welcoming,” she finishes lamely.

But that’s enough to make Beverly beam. “Meet me and Geordi for breakfast?” she offers. "Others might come too - perhaps Data. He and Geordi are nearly inseparable."  


The prospect of meeting that much  _ Enterprise _ earnestness that early in the morning makes B’elanna nervous, but she nods anyway. “Thank you for the invitation. That sounds great.”

“I’ll come by at eight?” Beverly suggests. “Is that a good time for Miral?’ B’elanna nods, stunned. “Great. Now, I brought the smallest of nightcaps.” She produces a bottle from somewhere beside her. “I borrowed my friend’s family’s personal stash from Betazed. It’s a little fruity but light enough for breastfeeding.”

B’elanna gets up to find some glasses. “ _ Borrowed _ ?”

Beverly shrugs. “She’s got plenty more of it. She’s getting married soon, so her ritual presents have been coming in. Some less subtle than others.”

B’elanna laughs. “Wow, when’s the wedding?”

Beverly’s brows raise conspiratorially. “In a year, can you believe it?”

* * *

Beverly leaves in plenty of time for B’elanna to feed Miral and get ready for bed, but it turns out that Miral’s done the majority of her sleeping while Beverly was visiting. It’s still before midnight when she accepts that she might have to give up and settle in for a restless night.

Tom’s away for a few days visiting his family, but B’elanna knows a few people who might not be as tied up at this hour. She’s been wary about calling on her crewmates, giving them space for their families.

She taps her comm badge, an action that feels almost foreign. “Torres to Seven.”

“Hello, B’elanna.” Seven had perhaps been the hardest part of their journey to explain. Starfleet’s just let her have a comm badge, with limited contact - she can pretty much just contact her crewmates. She currently is restricted to part of the starbase, which B’elanna finds annoying. But then again, it was a shock to come back and find that the Dominion War was over.

It was a bit of a shock to remember that that had been happening when they left.

“How are you, Seven?”

“Things are manageable,” Seven answers shortly. “I believe this comm badge is a work of good faith on Starfleet's part.”

B’elanna grins a little, in spite of the fussy baby she’s rocking in her arms. “I bet you’ve been talking up a storm.”

“Is that a joke, B’elanna?”

“Maybe a little,” B’elanna admits.

“You are in fact my first call besides Captain Janeway,” says Seven. “I checked in with her for my test call. I believe the personnel who delivered the badge to me were under orders to let me call her first.”

B’elanna fights off a pang of - something. “How is she?”

“Busy. It makes sense. She’s walked many lines in the past few years. She seems to think it will be alright, but they need to get the paperwork out of the way.” There’s a short pause. “I have not called so many others because I thought it would be prudent to let you have time to get reacquainted with your lives here on Earth.”

B’elanna chuckles. “Well, call me anytime. I don’t have much a life here beyond  _ Voyager _ .”

“Noted. How is Miral?”

“Fussy,” sighs B’elanna. “You’re staying on base, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure I’m allowed to go to where you’re staying,” Seven tells her. “I checked when they updated my transportation parameters.”

B’elanna smiles. “That’s alright. Can you have visitors?”

“I believe they will allow you to visit me, yes. But if you must care for Miral, do not trouble yourself. I will be regenerating at some point.”

“Give me a few minutes. I’ll pack a bag.”

* * *

Among those of the  _ Enterprise _ crew who chose not to take leave are the majority of its medical staff, who answered the call to process the returning  _ Voyager  _ crew. Now that most of that’s behind them, most of them elected to remain on Earth for the rest of the time being.

It’s nighttime in San Francisco, but that means that it’s solidly afternoon in Keiko’s hometown. Beverly beams in to say a quick hello before heading off to sleep.

Keiko’s living room is set up for children, save that she’s shaded all the windows and darkened the room for her visitors, most of whom are on San Francisco clocks. Deanna, Selar, Keiko, Alyssa, Ezri, Geordi, Data, and Kate Pulaski sit on the floor, all seemingly in the middle of mini-facials, save Kate, who appears to be the one elected for children-watching study at the moment.

“Bev!” she says appreciatively. “We thought you’d gone to sleep.”

There’s a small pause, where everyone removes the cucumbers covering their eyes to wave hello. Kate hands Beverly the stack of bowls with the facial ingredients in them, and Beverly begins the light cleanse the precedes the facial. “Sorry, I was having dinner with B’elanna Torres. It ran a little late. Geordi, she’s going to join us on the  _ Enterprise  _ tomorrow. I hope it’s alright that I took the liberty--you don’t have plans, do you?”

Geordi opens his mouth, but Data’s the one who answers. “I would very much like to meet Lieutenant Torres. I read her report about meeting an artificial lifeform in the Delta Quadrant and found it particularly fascinating.”

Kate raises an eyebrow. “In part because it bore no relation to you, I gather?” Warm laughter reverberates around the room.

“You can come too, of course,” says Beverly.

“I have no problems with this,” Geordi pipes up. “It’s one of the problems with having a Starfleet family - it’s really hard to get leave at the same time unless we all set it up at least a year in advance. I’m your man, Doc.”

Still, the room turns to look at Deanna. She holds up her hands. “I keep telling you all, this is not a real bachelorette party. I just figured, while we’re all here - especially while Kate’s in the vicinity - and it’s so hard to get everyone together…”

“It is also an excellent opportunity for me to experience such a gathering,” says Data, replacing the cucumbers on his eyes. “I believe I am beginning to understand how it can be found...relaxing.”

“The non-relaxing part of the party is a few days from now,” Ezri tells Beverly, mock sober.  


Beverly can’t help but laugh. She discards the cleansing cloth and begins to apply the first creamy layer of the facial mask. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“You know that, for humans, it’s not so customary to have in-laws present at the bachelorette party,” Selar tells Data.

“I’m not officially Will Riker’s stepmother, you know,” Kate tells Selar.

Alyssa giggles. “Officially.”

Kate laughs and reaches across the room for Deanna’s hand. “Come now! There may be men in our midst, but we’re not talking about men that aren’t here tonight, especially the Riker boys, off in Alaska doing who-knows-what.”

“And who cares?” offers Keiko.

“That’s my girl.”

Deanna replaces one cucumber and grins. “Alright, then, a change in conversation. How is Lieutenant Torres?” Around them, most of the room replaces their cucumbers and goes back to lounging.

“She’s good. Miral is positively adorable.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with her lately.”

“Don’t look at me like that, Deanna.”

Deanna replaces the other cucumber. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not looking at you.”

Beverly begins to apply the second layer of facial mix and watches Alyssa’s lips turn up. “It’s the first time we’ve hung out - outside of our initial consultation.”

“Does she often try to pull a fast one over on you, Deanna?” Ezri asks. “After all this time?”

Beverly sighs. “It’s not like that. She’s just interesting--” Kate and Geordi snort. “--and it’s a little relatable, alright?”

“Well, I’m happy for you, whatever it is,” says Deanna.

“That’s what shore leave’s for, anyway,” Keiko tells her. “What’s the point of getting extended time off work if you’re not going to spend it doing - um,  _ interesting _ things.” Alyssa lets out a giggle.

“Look, she has limited access to her crew, a new baby, and not a lot of family,” says Beverly, pulling two cucumber slices from a bowl. “That’s enough to make anyone lonely. Look at us. We’re all technically on shore leave. We have all of Earth at our disposal, and here we are, hanging out with each other.” Ezri clears her throat. “Alright, Ezri and Kate have excuses. The rest of us, though…”

* * *

B’elanna helped the  _ Voyager _ crew tell Starfleet what she thought appropriate quarters for Seven would be while she was in quarantine. To their credit, they seem to have given her an impressive mashup between standard Starfleet quarters and Seven’s cargo bay back on the ship. She reminds herself to tell this to Tom when they call each other the next day.

“Hello, B’elanna,” Seven says. “I have, as you say, ‘tidied up’ for your arrival.” She gestures to the corner, where she’s repurposed part of a sofa-bed contraption into what looks vaguely like a crib.

“Wow, thank you, Seven. Miral’s keeping calm for the moment, but she’s doing this thing where she cries if I put her down. I’ll see if it works in a few minutes when she’s a little more tired.”

Seven peers down at Miral in B’elanna’s arms. “She appears to be progressing quite well in her growth and development.”

B’elanna grins. “Thanks.”

“I have been informed that I will be allowed full run of the base in about a week or so, provided I can pass the rest of the examinations they are giving me. It may be sooner, if Captain Janeway has any say.”

B’elanna sits down on the couch, a little tired. “I guess she’s working day and night to make sure all of us get settled.”

“I believe that seeing her will do wonders for the morale of the crew. Or, maybe that’s something Neelix would say if he was here,” says Seven. “I am unsure how to proceed.”

“That makes two of us,” chuckles B’elanna. “I have full run of the base, and I’m not entirely sure what to do.”

“Would you like me to replicate something for you?” Seven asks politely. “There is a replicator here. I have not tried it out myself, but I assure you, I examined it and it seems in full working order.”

“I’m alright. I just had dinner with Dr. Crusher.”

Seven raises an eyebrow. “From the  _ Enterprise _ ? I was not aware she was still examining the crew.”

“Uh, she wasn’t,” says B’elanna, a little distracted, as she shifts the baby against her chest. “She examined me, but I guess she’s decided to hang out with me a little while we’re here.”

Seven takes a seat beside her. “Interesting.”

B’elanna nods. “I don’t understand it myself. Did she examine you?”

Seven nods. “That was, of course, after I had familiarized myself with the most recent history of the quadrant. I tried not to speak with her too much. The  _ Enterprise _ has a - more colorful history with the Borg than most.”

B’elanna smiles knowingly. “Did that work? The not speaking?”

“No, she questioned me at length about plenty of things. I could hardly get a word in edgewise. Do you think that was nervous behavior on her part?”

B’elanna shrugs. “I can ask her tomorrow. I’m going on a tour of the  _ Enterprise _ . I could ask if you could come?”

Seven considers, then shakes her head. “Perhaps not. The Captain told me that it would be best to let everyone warm to me. That is best done by staying here, I suppose. Besides, I may make the rest of the ship’s crew nervous. However, you may mention me to Dr. Crusher. She reminds me a little bit of Captain Janeway, and that seems to make everything seem a little less...uncertain.”

B’elanna considers. “She does certainly have a way of putting everyone at ease.”

“Perhaps you should continue your interaction, if she has no objection. Anything that makes you more at ease is probably a good course of action.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“No,” says Seven. “But it’s a logical jump. If she’s putting people at ease, and you’ve not had too much interaction with her patients while here, then it’s possible to conclude that she put you more at ease. And that there’s more ease to be had.”

B’elanna laughs. “You reminded me of Tuvok just now.”

“I miss all of their company,” Seven says. “It is pleasant to have someone to speak to it about.”

It’s a little difficult, trying not to move a sleeping Miral too much, but B’elanna reaches out and covers her hand with hers. “You can speak to me about it anytime. I’m not so far away.”

* * *

The  _ Enterprise _ is relatively empty during B’elanna’s tour, and she finds that she immediately likes Geordi (he’s quick to put them on first-name basis). He’s as unusually chipper as the rest of the ship’s crew - the senior staff in particular - but can direct that toward talking about circuits and engines, which B’elanna finds refreshing. She feels like she’s stretching a muscle that’s been held still for too long.

It’s well into the afternoon when she leaves the ship to find Beverly playing with Miral on a blanket spread out in the ship’s arboretum, the light catching and illuminating her hair. It’s almost too adorable. B’elanna can’t stop herself from beaming as she comes over to greet them.

Beverly holds Miral out when B’elanna approaches, and B’elanna shakes her head, sitting down on the blanket across from them. “If she’s happy, keep her - unless you want to leave. I think I left you with her a little too long. It took her forever to sleep last night. I was falling asleep myself in Seven’s quarters when she finally knocked out.”

Beverly cradles Miral and holds out her finger, which looks giant against Miral’s tiny palm. “Seven...of Nine?”

“I went to see her. Neither of us have had much company.”

She’s watching carefully, waiting for Beverly’s response. Beverly nods, politely curious. “How is she settling in?”

“Cautiously. We weren’t sure how the reception would be to a lot of us - the Maquis on the ship, the Doctor, Seven.”

“I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I recommended Seven of Nine quite highly in my evaluation - partially because she was so receptive when we spoke but also because you all spoke so highly of her. Crew opinion matters a lot. A lot of us know that. I wouldn’t worry too much about her.”

A gentle breeze puffs by, and B’elanna finds herself thinking that all of this is so  _ easy _ \- talking about work and her friends, Miral reaching for Beverly’s hands and looking around at the new sounds and sights around her, lounging on a picnic blanket in a way that feels  _ normal _ , whatever that meant. “Receptive?”

Beverly blinks. “Yes, she was a regular chatterbox when we spoke.”

B’elanna stifles a grin. “Interesting. She said you were the chattery one.”

Beverly’s eyes widen, and then she shrugs a shoulder. “I guess we got along, then. I’m happy to hear it.”

B’elanna eyes Miral. “You really can give her back if you want.”

“I don’t have anywhere to be, B’elanna. If you want to stay, we can stay.”

They end up lying in the arboretum sun, barely exchanging words, Miral snoozing between them on the blanket.

* * *

Tom returns soon enough, with plenty to talk about regarding his time with his dad and Starfleet Command. Maybe it’s something about being married, but the  _ Voyager _ crew ends up showing up in some number - together or solo - for dinner at their place. They’re rarely alone, and over the next two weeks, B’elanna allows herself the luxury of not thinking about her career and just enjoying having her family back, more or less.

Beverly and Geordi are regular attendees at the dinner, often in a pair - Geordi can talk to either of them about work or engineering, while Beverly finds plenty to talk to Tom about when she finds out his interest in ancient pop culture facts. Beverly tries to cast him in one of her plays, a small production she’s throwing together while the  _ Enterprise  _ stays docked. It takes a team effort, but Geordi and B’elanna end up talking them out of it.

Chakotay tells them that he’s beginning his yearlong sabbatical. He’s not sure where he’ll end up, but he’s thinking that it might be teaching at the Academy again. Harry’s spending another month with his parents and friends, then getting back on a ship as soon as humanly possible. He stays over about one night a week, and B’elanna falls asleep to the sound of him and Tom laughing on the couch.

Tuvok is spending time with his family and training cadets on Vulcan, while meditating over what his next course of action should be. The Doctor is taking up duties at Starfleet Medical, though he’s slightly annoyed at how long it’s taking the other officers to come around to him. They even have the Wildmans over for dinner with Seven, where Samantha mostly watches Naomi with amusement as she tells them all about her new school and the new friends she’s making.

It’s a whirlwind of a month. Geordi ropes B’elanna in for temporary assignment, increasing the efficiency of the  _ Enterprise _ ’s engines and warp drive. It’s not much, but she’s grateful for the work.

In the middle of it all is Beverly, who’s always willing to pick up an extra babysitting shift or grab a quick bite with B’elanna in the middle of the day. She doesn’t stay late like Harry, but she often drops in early in the morning. They make breakfast together. B’elanna helps Beverly run lines over her morning coffee, and one morning, they watch the sun rise over the Golden Gate Bridge.

“So, is your captain as busy as Captain Janeway?” B’elanna asks her, as they watch the sky light up brilliant orange. “I think I’ve met nearly everyone on the  _ Enterprise _ except for him.” She’s even met Worf, who had a long discussion with her about the amount of Klingon culture with which she was familiar, then offered her some of his son’s old childhood possessions. Miral wouldn’t be ready for them for years, but she appreciated where the gesture was coming from.

“Extended shore leave,” smiles Beverly, and she looks almost wistful but just for a moment. It must be a trick of the light. “But he’s not taking it on Earth. He’s following his heart, I guess you could say.”

“Good for him,” says B’elanna. She means to take a sip of coffee, but she ends up keeping her eyes on Beverly as she does so. They lock, and for a second, Beverly looks on fire in the sunlight. “I guess that’s what we all want to do.”

There’s a little bit of silence, and B’elanna can’t find it in herself to look away. Thankfully, Beverly breaks it, because B’elanna’s not sure what to do. “You haven’t met everyone here on Earth, though.”

B’elanna grins. “Bring ‘em over. Our house is the new holodeck.” Beverly stares. “Uh, it’s a  _ Voyager _ thing.”

* * *

Half the time when people are over, B’elanna’s out of uniform. It just made sense the first few months to stay in nursing clothes (something she, Beverly, and Samantha Wildman all agree on is putting in a word for the next set of maternity uniforms for Starfleet - the post-birth uniform leaves a little to be desired; also the new uniform designs are foreign to B’elanna - they don’t feel like  _ her _ uniform) or something comfortable. B’elanna’s never seen Beverly out of uniform. The night she brings Deanna Troi over is the first time.

Lon Suder once mentioned the counselor in conversation, very briefly.  _ Cloudily beautiful _ , he had said, and B’elanna hadn’t known what to make of that. She hasn’t thought about it until now, though she guesses if she tilts her head sideways and squints, it might be true. The woman sitting in her quarters now is covered wrist to shoulders to knee in a deep and vivid shade of violet. The top half of her hair is gathered into an intricate-looking bun, while the rest of her dark hair hangs straight, long, and loose at her shoulders. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder to Beverly, who’s wearing a deep blue, fitted long-sleeved shirt over an emerald pencil skirt, they look almost peacock-like.

B’elanna wearing a black button-down dress over matching tights. Tom’s wearing a baggy shirt under a vest and shorts. “Are you ladies beer people or wine people?” he asks genially on the way to the replicator. B’elanna tries to contain her sigh.

It’s not that she feels awkward, not at all. Beverly had given her a heads up that this the empathic counselor, and B’elanna had kept their dinner date. She wasn’t worried about having her emotions read. It’s more that this was Beverly’s best friend that she was nervous about, and that together, they’re somehow the epitome of every rumor she’d ever heard about  _ Enterprise _ personnel being as fashionable as they were adept.

“Wine, normally,” Deanna tells him with a smile, “but I don’t want to drink if we’re not all drinking.” She nods toward B’elanna.

“Nonsense,” B’elanna says. “I’ll actually take a little wine, if you don’t mind.”

It turns out that the wedding Beverly’s been talking about has been Deanna’s, and so they speak a little bit over dinner about how the preparations are going - the ritual, the different ceremonies, working out the planning with her job.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so busy, or I’d have tried to meet you before,” Deanna says apologetically. “Beverly’s said so much about you. Geordi’s loved your help on the  _ Enterprise _ as well. You’re as talented as everyone says.”

B’elanna has trouble hiding her grin but succeeds. Meanwhile, Tom beams. “She’s been a godsend, helping out with Miral the way she has.”

Beverly laughs lightly. “Well, you know, a lot of times I’m so busy I can barely take care of myself. It’s just a sweet time right now, the way everyone’s paths have crossed.”

“A time of transition,” B’elanna says, trying to look at Beverly and nowhere else. She can feel Deanna’s eyes on her from the corner. “I’ve enjoyed working with my hands again. I’m thinking about speaking to Starfleet to see where they’ll put me. I think I might just be on probation, after all of the Maquis business.”

“That was a long time ago,” says Deanna. She smiles at Beverly. “A lot happens in seven years.”

“From what I understand,” says Tom, “we owe you our thanks. Apparently we wouldn’t have made it home without your help.”

“Tangentially,” says Deanna. “The  _ Voyager _ crew are the real heroes of this story.”

Deanna has to leave to deal with more wedding preparations, but that’s not before Tom invites her - and anyone else who wants to come - to a pool game in one of the base’s holodecks.

“You know there’s a perfectly good pool hall in the starbase,” Deanna tells him, after she accepts.

“It’s a  _ Voyager  _ thing,” Tom shrugs, and Deanna laughs. “What?”

“You just remind me of Commander Riker a little bit.” Tom grins. “Beverly, can I see you outside for just a second? Then I’ll leave you all to your evening.”

With a wave from Deanna, they’re outside the door, and Tom and B’elanna pick up the plates.

“That went well,” he tells her, and he laughs at her look of confusion.

“What?”

“She just brought in the big guns - her best friend. And you’ve passed with flying colors. They’re not going to be here forever. Are you going to make a move, or are you waiting for her to make one?”

“ _ What? _ ”

* * *

“ _ What? _ ”

Beverly stares at Deanna outside B’elanna’s door. Deanna shrugs. “Isn’t that why you brought me here? To see if I’d approve?”

“I brought you here because you were the only one of my friends who hadn’t met B’elanna yet. She was uncomfortable meeting you at first - you told me that - so that’s why I waited.”

“It wasn’t so I could get a read on how Lieutenant Paris would feel about it?” Deanna asks. “He’s fine with it, in case you were wondering. Even happy.”

“Deanna!”

Deanna shrugs. “I want you to be happy. You’ve been lonely lately, and for once, it’s not something I can really help with.”

She doesn’t like feeling this vulnerable usually, though if it has to be in front of anyone, Deanna definitely makes the top part of that list. “Deanna…”

“It’s a sweet time, like you said. There are a lot of paths converging right here, right now, that wouldn’t normally. So what’s causing this hesitation?”

Beverly sighs. “I guess it’s happening so fast that I don’t really feel like myself. Also, she’s been through a lot. What if it’s not good for her? What if it’s not what she wants?”

Deanna gives her a knowing look. “I guess that’s for you to find out.”

Beverly rolls her eyes. “You don’t really need to go deal with your wedding, do you?”

Deanna blinks innocently. “You know how my mother gets.” She grins. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

* * *

When Beverly steps back inside, the bedroom door is closed, and B’elanna’s sitting alone on the couch. She jumps up.

“Beverly,” B’elanna says quietly, “do you want to go for a walk?”

* * *

She doesn’t know Earth anymore, so she takes them to Mexico, to the Mérida of her father’s stories. It stings a little, but the buildings are colorful, and the streets are brightly lit. Beverly fits right in with her outfit, so B’elanna feels like she fits in too.

“It’s just a place to talk,” she mutters, as she watches Beverly’s eyes light up at the sights around them.

“You know, I wasn’t born on Earth either,” Beverly tells her. “I didn’t come here until I was a teenager, when I joined Starfleet. There wasn’t a lot of time to explore, of course. Space was out there, so I wanted to be too.”

“Maybe I’ll take Seven here,” says B’elanna. “It’s a place to start. She doesn’t know much of Earth. I think she might like it.”

“Discovering Earth together isn’t a bad thing at all,” Beverly smiles. “There are worse ways to spend your time in proverbial limbo.”

B’elanna’s not sure whose shoulder brushes whose first, but she resists the instinct to push away; she stays. Their fingers clumsily tangle together.

She’s done this before. Both of them have done this before. Hell, B’elanna’s  _ married _ . Why does she feel so out of her depth? She swallows. “Might as well make ourselves comfortable, right? If we’re going to be here?”

Even nervous, Beverly’s hair seems to fall just right, her eyes just the right shade of attractive under the street lights, as she looks at B’elanna. “Here in limbo?”

She’s not thinking. B’elanna just looks up, sees the bright blue side of the building behind Beverly and bends their clasped hands to her chest. She reaches for Beverly’s cheek with the other, and it’s not graceful  _ at all _ , but that’s how they end up kissing, B’elanna pushing Beverly back a few steps into the wall.

Beverly sighs into the kiss, her arm finding and gripping B’elanna’s waist. It’s long and slow and a little rough, and they’re both breathless when they pull away.

Beverly pushes B’elanna’s hair back from her face. “I like being here with you,” she whispers, eyes dark with honesty and abandon.

B’elanna kisses her neck, then her cheek, then her mouth. “I like you."

* * *

Miral’s awake, so Tom’s awake when B’elanna comes back to her quarters. Beverly walked her back and helped her smooth her hair back into place, but that of course doesn’t keep Tom’s grin off his face when she walks into their room.

“So, was it you or her?” Tom grins.

“Tell me you don’t have a betting pool on this.”

“I don’t. So, was it you or her?”

B’elanna offers wordlessly to take Miral, but Tom shakes his head and nods toward the bed. B’elanna flops onto it on her back and covers her eyes with her forearms. “It was me. So tell me who you really had the betting pool with?”

She uncovers her eyes in time to see Tom’s smirk. “Troi, Seven, La Forge, and Data. Harry declined to take sides, but he knew about it. Don’t look now, but it looks like you’re fitting in here.”

She tries to work herself into a frustrated sigh and ends up smiling. “For today, anyway.”

Tom shrugs. “That’s all you can ask for, right?” He checks - Miral’s asleep. He places her into her crib, climbs into bed, and kisses B’elanna on the cheek. “You’re going to see her again?”

B’elanna grins a little. “Of course.”

Tom turns out the lights; it’s the best sleep B’elanna’s gotten in the Alpha Quadrant in a long time.


End file.
